Itinerary
- Gyeongbokgung
- Bukchon Hanok Village
- Insadong
- Gwangjang Market
- N Seoul Tower
- Myeongdong
- Hongdae
Three days is enough for Seoul's greatest hits if you cluster by neighborhood instead of zigzagging. This is the itinerary I give friends on their first visit — it front-loads the historic core, keeps day two flexible, and ends with a proper night out.
Day One: The Historic Core
Start at Gyeongbokgung when it opens (rent a hanbok near the station if you want free entry and better photos). Walk east into Bukchon Hanok Village for the hilltop view, then down into Insadong for lunch — the alley restaurants behind the main street are cheaper and better than the ones with English menus out front. Spend the late afternoon on Cheonggyecheon stream walking east, then dive into Gwangjang Market for dinner: bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes) at the stalls in the center, plus a knife-cut noodle bowl. Finish at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, which looks best lit up after dark.
Day Two: Views and Shopping
Sleep in, then head to Namsan. Take the cable car up to N Seoul Tower — go before sunset so you get daylight and night views in one visit. Walk down through Namsan Park into Myeongdong for the evening: street food carts line the main lanes from about 16:00 (the lobster-tail and egg-bread stalls are touristy but fun), and the skincare shops all hand out samples. If you want a calmer evening, swap Myeongdong for Ikseon-dong's hanok alley cafes, ten minutes away by subway.
Day Three: Pick Your Seoul
Keep day three loose. Options: the Hongdae/Sinchon university belt for youth culture and a final night out; Seongsu-dong for the cafe-and-pop-up-store scene in old warehouses; or the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan if it is raining. I usually send people to Hongdae — arrive around 17:00, eat at one of the samgyeopsal places on the back streets, and stay for the buskers.
Logistics
Stay near a Line 2 station and everything on this list is one ride away. A T-money card covers all of it for about 5,000 KRW a day.